


The Perfect Storm

by Wolfcry22



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Allergies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Finn (Star Wars), Awesome Poe Dameron, BB-8 Ships It, Canon Compliant, Cat allergy, Cats, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Poe Dameron/Finn, M/M, Pilot Poe Dameron, Poe Dameron Hurts So Prettily, Poe Dameron Is A Mess, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Poe Dameron Whump, Poe Dameron has allergies, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Protective Finn (Star Wars), Protective Poe Dameron, Resistance, Sick Character, Sick Poe Dameron, Sickfic, Sneezing, loth cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26416003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfcry22/pseuds/Wolfcry22
Summary: A cat makes its way into base. Poe is allergic but D-O loves it. What will Poe do?
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	1. What is a Friend?

**Author's Note:**

> So, D-O is one of my favorite Star Wars characters. He reminds me a lot of myself and I really wish I had seen more of him in the Rise Of Skywalker, but I can always imagine what his life was life after the final battle. I wanted to explore his relationship more with Poe, Finn, and BB-8. I also wanted to throw some Poe angst into the mix because why not? I hope you guys enjoy!

“Then we have a meeting with some systems that have been Resistant neutral and.... Poe, are you listening to me?”

Poe dropped his fork into the food that he had just been picking at for the past 20 minutes. He swung his head over to look at Finn and he saw the frustration in Finn’s eyes. “Oh, were you saying something?”

“I was saying a lot, actually. I’m guessing you didn’t hear any of that, did you,” complained Finn with his eyes slightly narrowed.

Poe glanced down in embarrassment before he shook his head. “I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t listening. Do you think there’s something wrong with D-O?”

Finn set his food aside as his mind raced to figure out where that had come from. “D-O? Uh, I don’t think so,” he replied.

Poe’s gaze followed to the little green and white droid. He was beside BB-8, but didn’t have his usual nervous energy. He seemed defeated and generally sad. That wasn’t like the D-O that he knew.

“He’s been so sullen since Rey left for more Jedi training. I think that he’s feeling a little lost,” Poe confessed as he watched BB-8 try to roll enthusiastically around D-O, as if asking him to play. D-O appeared uninterested.

Finn knew that Poe had a way with droids. He always seemed to know what D-O and BB-8 were feeling as well as what they were saying. Finn had noticed a bit that D-O was quiet, but that wasn’t too strange. D-O was a very timid droid because of what had happened to him. He was still trying to find his way around the Resistance base as well as so many new people. BB-8 was trying to help him navigate through this world.

“Why don’t you try and talk to him,” Finn suggested as he took another bite of his food ravenously. “I mean, if anyone can get through to him it’s you.”

Poe snorted in amusement. “I’m not sure about that. After all, I’m the one that called him cone-face before.” That hadn’t been one of his proudest moments. To his defense, he hadn’t known what his actual name was and it was fairly tense. He forced that thought aside.

Finn swallowed his bite before taking a gulp of some water. “True, but I think that he’s over that by now. He probably just wants someone to talk to,” he pointed out as he went in for another bite. “You’re not figuring anything out by just talking to me. Go see if you can help him. Goodness knows that talking to me isn’t helping anything.”

Poe shot him a thumbs up. “I think that I will. I hope I don’t scare him away this time,” he grunted as he grabbed his tray and rose to his feet. He made his way over to the trash and dumped his tray before making his way over to the usually timid droid.

BB-8 saw him first and rolled up to Poe before he could sneak up on them. Poe laughed as he kneeled down and rubbed BB-8’s side fondly. “Hey, buddy. How are you doing?!”

BB-8 let out a few sharp and excited beeps as if he was laughing. Poe laughed back as he lowered his head and pressed it against BB-8’s dome, a common motion that Poe now did with his companion droid. Poe then straightened while giving BB-8 a gentle rub on the top of his dome.

“Hey, D-O,” Poe murmured softly as he gave his hand a bit of a wave.

The green and white droid glanced up at Poe carefully. He was hesitant to get too close to the little droid and freak him out. “H-H-Hello.”

“You okay,” Poe pressed as he tipped his head ever so slightly. 

D-O nodded. “Y-Yes.”

BB-8 rolled forward and let out a heavy beep. Poe nodded to him. “D-O is feeling a little claustrophobic? How about the three of us go for a walk? Get out of the base and get some fresh air?”

BB-8 let out a warble of excitement while D-O seemed to echo him. “Outside. Outside!”

Poe couldn’t help but grin. “Yep, I think that it’s a plan. Come with me,” he instructed as he started out of the mess hall with both droids behind him. He had thought of just offering for D-O to come with him, but he knew that D-O wouldn’t be comfortable with just him. He followed BB-8 around like BB-8 was his father and BB-8 never hesitated to look out for him.

The three of them made their way outside and Poe took in a deep breath as the wind whipped at his face and brushed his hair slightly back. The sun streamed down and warmed him as he started to pick his way to a path that wouldn’t be hard for either droid to follow while also not being overly busy. D-O was timid around new people and Poe didn’t want to freak him out anymore than necessary.

Poe wasn’t sure whether to talk or remain quiet. He wasn’t exactly known for his sensitivity or silence. However, he had to take a different approach to D-O because of what the tiny droid had been through. He wasn’t completely sure about what had happened to him and D-O wasn’t quite ready to tell him. Poe would be there whenever D-O felt comfortable enough or ready enough to tell him.

Poe suddenly looked down when he felt BB-8 tap against him. He glanced down at his orange and white companion. “What’s going on, buddy?”

BB-8 let out a few high pitched beeps that faded to lower beeps. Poe glanced over to D-O as he slightly wandered in front of Poe and BB-8. “I know that he’s scared, BB. I’m doing all that I can. Is he okay when he’s with you?”

The orange and white droid’s dome seemed to fall forward and Poe sighed. “Okay that’s not the response I was looking for. That’s okay. We will look out for him and do everything that we can to make him comfortable. He deserves it after everything he’s been through.” Poe paused as he watched D-O scramble back fearfully as a bird called overhead. The green and white droid tipped his head to the sky before scrambling forward once more. “Do you know what he’s been through?”

BB-8 gave a defiant beep. Poe chuckled as he looked away from him. “Alright, alright, that’s for you to know and D-O to tell me when he’s ready. I won’t ask again.”

Suddenly, a screech sounded as something leaped from the bushes and tackled D-O to the ground. The little droid went rolling with a yelp of alarm. 

“D-O,” gasped Poe as he and BB-8 charged forward.

As they drew closer, Poe recognized the creature as a Loth Cat. He had no idea why it was on this planet since they were nowhere near Lothal. That wasn’t the most pressing question at the moment. Poe was afraid that this creature was going to strike out at D-O or worse.

By the time that BB-8 and Poe managed to come over to help, the cat was purring and rubbing itself against D-O’s body. D-O had fallen over a thick piece of root and couldn’t right himself from that position. He let out a few shrill laughs as the Loth Cat rubbed up against him, purring as it did so. 

Poe rushed forward and stomped his foot at the ground in front of D-O to scare the creature away. “Scram,” Poe shouted.

The Loth Cat hissed with it’s back arched as it leaped slightly back, but didn’t dart back into the undergrowth. Poe reluctantly turned his back on the cat to pull D-O to his wheel while BB-8 placed himself between Poe and the cat to protect Poe.

“You okay, buddy,” questioned Poe as he scooped up D-O and helped right him. “That cat come from nowhere, didn’t it?”

D-O rolled away from Poe’s grasp and spun in a tight circle. He rolled over to BB-8 as he glanced at the cat curiously. “H-H-Hello.”

The cat drew forward and D-O drew closer to it. Poe wanted to force the cat away from D-O since he knew how dangerous creatures could be. Before Poe could speak, he felt his nose start to almost tickle as if invisible feathers were brushing at the back of his nose. He blinked his eyes in an effort to stop the feeling that seemed to come out of nowhere. His breath started to hitch before he sucked in a powerful breath and pitched over his shoulders.

“Hrshrshsh! HrchrHsHS!”

The creature let out a hiss of terror and disappeared back into the undergrowth that it came from. D-O tried to follow it but BB-8 blocked him from doing so. D-O’s head fell forward in sadness. “B-Bye,” D-O stammered sadly.

Poe lifted his hand and rubbed the side of it under his still slightly prickling nose. “Ugh, we had better head back. It’s going to get dark and we don’t want that cat coming back.”

Poe led the way forward with BB-8 and a reluctant D-O following.


	2. Hanging Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe is still concerned about D-O, but luckily Finn is there to distract him for a little bit.

“How did things go with D-O,” asked Finn that night while he was pushing his teeth.

Poe sat on their bed, going over some information that had just been sent over on his PADD. He had already showered and was waiting for Finn to come to bed. “They were okay. I meant to make things better, but then this Loth Cat just came from nowhere and kind of changed things a bit,” he confessed as he rubbed a hand against the side of his face and then at the undersides of his nostrils.

Finn spat in the sink and rinsed out his mouth before he made his way out of the fresher and over to Poe. He pulled off his shirt so his taunt ab muscles contracted and could be seen by Poe. “I’m sure that you protected him. That is what you do.” He stepped onto the bed and sat across from Poe before stretching out his arm and grabbing Poe’s PADD away from him. Poe feebly made a grab for it, but Finn was quicker and set it down beside him so that it was out of Poe’s reach.

“Finn,” complained Poe as he tried to make another grab for it. 

An amused expression fell over Finn’s face. “I think that there’s something way more interesting in front of you than on that screen,” he joked as he leaned forward as he tried to crawl forward so that he was almost towering over Poe. 

Poe smiled back at him as he glanced up to the attractive man almost straddling him. “I guess I can agree with that,” he joked as he tipped his head upward even more.

Finn leaned over and brushed his lips gingerly against Poe’s. The two pressed their lips together with passion with Poe partially opening his mouth to allow the kiss to deepen. He allowed his tongue to wander and tasted the fresh flavor thanks to Finn’s recently brushed teeth. Poe slightly moaned in pleasure as emotions rushed over him for Finn.

When they finally pulled apart, Finn continued to pepper kisses along Poe’s cheek and forehead. He then moved his head and kissed the tip of Poe’s nose. Poe suddenly drew away sharply, much to Finn’s surprise. He sat with his eyes fluttering and his mouth slightly parted in a desperate and vulnerable look. His chest rose and fell quickly with his breath hitching manically. His nostrils flared madly while a ticklish expression showed on his face.

“Poe,” Finn questioned softly.

Poe suddenly crushed his head over his shoulder as his entire body pitched forward. “HchrhsHsh! HrchrHsSH! Huh....ehh.....Hur’HrchrSHsh!”

“Damn, Poe. Bless you,” exclaimed Finn.

Poe gave an experimental sniff, and once he was sure that he wasn’t going to sneeze again, he spoke again. “Ugh, sorry. Shoulda tried to warn you,” he murmured with a hearty sniff.

“You feeling alright? Not getting sick, are you,” questioned Finn worriedly as he lifted a hand to rest it on Poe’s forehead to check for fever.

Poe ducked aside before shaking his head. “No, just left over from before. There musta been something in the forest that didn’t agree with me. Been feeling the need to sneeze all day.”

“Well, you’re out of the forest now and you’re with me.” Finn flopped over beside Poe and didn’t hesitate to lift his leg and wrap it around Poe’s waist and pull him close. Finn wrapped his arms around Poe’s shoulder in a tight hug as he lowered his head and planted a few kisses on the side of Poe’s neck. Poe leaned into the touch with his eye slightly closing. “But, you seem exhausted.”

“I’m fine,” Poe protested as he struggled to swallow a yawn that overwhelmed him easily.

Finn leaned forward and planted one more kiss on Poe’s now closed lips. “Uh huh. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of time for something else later.” There was a seductive quality to Finn’s voice that Poe didn’t hear often. It was usually Poe that did the seducing so this was a nice change. Too bad he was too tired to actually enjoy it.

In one smooth motion, Finn turned Poe on his side with his his arms wrapped around his waist as Finn snuggled into the back of his neck. Poe felt at ease being close to Finn, someone that Poe had never thought could love a headstrong Resistance pilot with plenty of baggage like himself. Finn had been there through the ups and down, through the fighting and silence, and certainly there for the good times. Poe couldn’t think of anyone more perfect for him than Finn.

Despite having this amazing man beside him, Poe’s thoughts wandered to D-O. The timid droid was charging in the corner next to BB-8, seemingly in sleep mode. He had been nearly silent when they made their way back to base. Poe hadn’t been sure if he was scared of the Loth Cat or if he had wanted it to stay. Either way, D-O hadn’t spoken a word to him or BB-8 on their walk back. Poe wouldn’t go as far to say that the green and white droid was angry, but something was clearly going on with him.

The snoring that came from behind Poe was enough to drag him from his thoughts. He would have time to worry about D-O later. For now he needed to relish in the feel of the former Stormtrooper beside him.


	3. Seeking and Hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe wakes to BB-8 frantic that he can’t find D-O. Where could he be?

The next morning Poe awoke to frantic beeps and whirls while something repeatedly slammed into his bed. He was awake in a moment with his eyes struggling to take in what was going on around him. Finn awoke beside him when Poe shifted and he glanced around fearfully. “What? What!”

Poe looked down and sat BB-8 repeatedly slamming into the bed. Poe jumped from the bed in a moment and pulled the little droid away to redirect him. “Hey, hey, hey! What’s going on?”

BB-8 continued to beep as he shook before swiveling his dome to point at the wall. Poe immediately frowned. “D-O is gone?”

“Shit,” Finn exclaimed as he threw the covers off of himself to jump down beside Poe. “That can’t be good. That droid can’t go two steps without BB-8. Why would he just leave?”

Poe rubbed his hand against the stubble on his jaw. “I have no idea,” he sighed. “But, we need to figure out where he went. Him on his own isn’t the best.”

“Where should we start,” Finn questioned, already walking to their closet to grab some clothing.

Poe waved him off. “BB-8 and I can handle it. I’m sure I’m part of the reason that he just left,” he confessed as he stood.

“Why do you stay that,” Finn asked as he pulled a white t-shirt from one of the hangers.

Poe shook his head. “I don’t know, but I spent time with him yesterday. That’s the only thing that we did differently. Don’t worry. BB-8 and I will find him. The less people trying to crowd him may be best.”

Finn reluctantly grunted in agreement. He quickly grabbed shirts and khakis for Poe to change into so that he wasn’t running around shirtless. Poe took them appreciatively and quickly changed on his way to the fresher. He began to brush his teeth while BB-8 continued to beep worryingly.

“I’m coming,” mumbled Poe as he spat in the sink and rinsed out his mouth. He drew a hand through his hair to tame his bedraggled curls before jogging over to his droid. “Okay, let’s go find a D-O.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time the sun was high in the sky, Poe felt like he had looked everywhere for the allusive green and white droid. He had asked nearly everyone that he had come across if they had seen him. No one had given him any leads, or worse, had no clue who D-O was. Poe supposed that he couldn’t blame them. D-O wasn’t exactly social and shied away from anyone who wasn’t BB-8. Even so, it was still frustrating that he couldn’t find him.

Poe jogged through the mess hall one more time before meeting BB-8 out in the hallway. “Any sign of him,” Poe panted.

BB-8’s head rolled forward slowly in defeat. He gave a dejected beep that sounded almost like a whine.

Poe kneeled down beside him and rested a hand on his circular body. “We’ll find him, buddy, I promise. He’s got to be around here somewhere. It’s not like he just got on a ship and left.” At least, Poe prayed that he hadn’t.

“Okay, so we’ve checked every bunker and brigade here. Is there anywhere else we could look,” Poe wondered out loud as he straightened.

Pure enthusiasm seemed to waft from BB-8. The droid lifted his dome proudly as he beeped his suggestion in binary.

“The path that we took yesterday? You think that he might be there?” BB-8 beeped in affirmation. “It’s worth a try. Nothing else is working.”

Poe led BB-8 out of the mess hall and into the dense undergrowth and thick trees that hid their base so well. He heard the excited squeal of children as they chased each other in front of the med bay while an exhausted looking mother watched them. Poe felt a sharp pang as he remembered his mother watching him play when he was younger. He hadn’t had any siblings, but he had still found a way to have fun by using his imagination, imagining what it could be like to fly his mother’s A-Wing.

BB-8’s frustrated whistle brought Poe from his thoughts. “Sorry, sorry. Yeah, you can lead the way,” he muttered quickly.

The droid didn’t hesitate to take the lead from a lackluster Poe. The Resistance General reluctantly tore his attention from the surreal scene before following his droid back through the path that they had taken the day prior. Poe kept his senses up. He hadn’t brought his blaster and he knew that some unsavory creatures lurked here. They didn’t bother the Resistance base because of how many people were there. However, with Poe on his own, he would make an easy target for any hungry animal. 

They were about halfway there when Poe noticed a flash of dull white showing from within some dense undergrowth close to the path. “Thank force,” breathed Poe as he jogged forward with BB-8 following.

He stepped past some giant leaves and nearly jumped when he saw D-O standing next to the same Loth Cat from the day before. The cat seemed to be rubbing against him while D-O looked at it almost questioningly.

Poe immediately stepped in and scooped up D-O while narrowing his eyes at the cat. “Get away from him,” Poe snapped as he set D-O aside.

D-O squirmed as Poe released him before rolling back over to the Loth Cat. “F-F-Friend,” D-O stuttered in surprise.

Poe kneeled down and blocked him from the Loth Cat. He hated turning his back on it, but he knew that BB-8 had his back. “D-O, what were you thinking? We were so worried about you,” Poe breathed as the anger and relief seemed to stir inside of him. “Thank the force that you’re alright.”

D-O didn’t seem to realize why Poe was reacting so intensely. He could only try and roll back toward the Loth Cat. “F-Friend,” D-O told him.

Poe shook his head madly. “That is not a friend! It’s a Loth Cat and we don’t need it anywhere near us,” chided Poe fiercely.

D-O didn’t seem to understand. He drew past Poe and over to the Loth Cat. The creature immediately turned it’s head and pressed it’s broad muzzle against D-O’s wheel, one of it’s large ears pressing against D-O’s speaker piece. The Loth Cat then pushed D-O back and rolled on it’s back with it’s wide set paws playfully pawing at D-O’s head while D-O looked down excitedly.

Poe wasn’t quite sure what D-O was thinking or doing. He wanted to just shake the life out of D-O, but he knew that doing that would do nothing. D-O was just too timid. They had just started to create some sort of relationship and Poe wasn’t stupid enough to sabotage it.

BB-8 let out a strain of beeps and warbles that were directed at D-O. Although he was beeping fast, Poe caught most of what he was trying to say.

D-O glanced back at his friend as the Loth Cat stood and leaned against him with it’s tail rubbing under D-O’s neck. “F-Friend cat.”

BB-8 turned to Poe and Poe lifted a hand before BB-8 could let out another fearful array of beeps. “I know, I know. Let’s do this tactfully, alright? We don’t want to come off too strong here,” he muttered to the orange and white droid. He had no idea how to address it, but he was sure that some answer would come to him.

Poe gave a small sniff as he felt his nose seem to grow slightly clogged. He lifted the back of his hand to rub his finger against his nose. The telltale prickle of an impending sneeze was upon Poe with nearly no warning. He barely had time to cup his hands over his nose and mouth and turn away from both droids. 

“HrchrHsSH! HrchrSHSHS! Huh’HcrhshSH!”

Once again, the Loth Cat hissed in alarm as it darted back into the undergrowth with the black tip the only visible part as it fled. Poe was secretly relieved even though his nose was still running quite freely. He grimaced ever so slightly as he reached up his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“K-Kitty,” questioned D-O sadly.

BB-8 rolled up to him and nudged him. D-O didn’t seem overly ready to be consoled, but he wasn’t about to push BB-8 away.

“Let’s head back,” Poe finally decided. “And hope that Loth Cat doesn’t follow.”


	4. Disappeared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D-O has gone MIA and Poe will not rest until he’s found. Where could he be?

“HrchrHsSH! HchrhsHsH! Huh’HrchrhsHs!”

“Bless you,” exclaimed Finn as he looked over to his sniffling boyfriend as the two ate their dinner across from each other.

Poe lifted the napkin from his meal and cupped it over his nose. He sucked in a heavy breath before blowing his nose productively. “Ugh, thanks.” He rubbed the napkin against the undersides of his dripping nostrils as he tried to go in for another bite. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“Could you be getting sick,” Finn fretted as he stretched out a hand and rested it against Poe’s forehead, under his curly hair. “You know that Balmorra flu is going around.”

Poe drew away from Finn’s touch. “Balmorra flu? No, I’m fine. It’s just an itch in my nose or something,” Poe argued as he lifted his wrist to rub under his madly tickling nostrils.

Finn immediately battered his hand sharply aside. Poe looked nearly dejected until Finn lifted his napkin that he had gotten with his meal and handed it over. “Use that instead of your wrist. It’s unsanitary,” Finn commented with a slight grimace on his face.

“If you can’t handle this I’m not sure how you’re going to do if I actually get Balmorra flu. It’s nasty the way that your sinuses swell and makes you produce so much mucus that—“

“Yep, that’s enough of that,” Finn interrupted as he pushed his food aside. “And I’m done.”

Poe couldn’t help but laugh as he brought the napkin up to his nose and blew heavily. This time it hardly shifted any of the congestion and still left him feeling drained. He didn’t think that he was coming down sick. All that he had was his clogged nose and sneezing fits. His eyes were a little itchy too, but other than that he felt fine. His throat wasn’t sore and he wasn’t coughing. Whatever was going on couldn’t be Balmorra flu.

“Hello, Poe,” Finn pressed before snapping his fingers. Poe immediately pulled his attention back to Finn while Finn slightly rolled his eyes. “Whether you’re getting sick or not, I think that it’s best if we turn in early.”

Poe nodded. “Yeah, alright,” he muttered as he rose to his feet with his arms lifted over his head in a partial stretch. He blinked his eyes tiredly as he looked around. “Where are the droids?”

Finn shrugged as he picked up his and Poe’s trays. “I don’t know, but I think that they can find their way back without us,” he pointed out as he dumped the tray with Poe coming up beside him.

The two walked out of the mess hall shoulder to shoulder while Poe pitched to the side while covering his nose and mouth with his steepled hands. “HrchrhSH! HcrhsHsh! Huh’HrhshHsSH!”

“C’mon,” Finn chided as he draped an arm around Poe’s shoulders and brought him close while Poe sniffled quickly. “Let’s get you back. I’m really starting to think you may have the Balmorra flu.”

Poe was starting to feel that Finn may be right. He lifted the collar of his shirt and rubbed it against his nose in an attempt to clean himself. He just hoped that no one saw him. Luckily, Finn was so close to him that no one would dare say anything, or so he hoped.

They made their way to their room, but when they headed in, Poe realized that D-O and BB-8 weren’t there. His eyes slightly narrowed as Finn flicked on the light. “They’re not here,” muttered Poe.

“I’m sure that they’re just having a droids’ night or whatever. You said it yourself that you thought D-O was angry that you scared off that Loth Cat,” Finn reminded as he already began to strip to his boxers, leaving the clothes wherever they fell.

Poe walked over to their nightstand and pulled out a few tissues from the box. “I guess so. Just seems weird.” He sucked in a heavy breath and blew his nose, but it was hardly able to move any of the congestion. He crumpled the tissues and threw them into the nearest trash reciprocal. 

“If they’re not back by tomorrow then we can worry. For now I think that you should be worried about whatever if going on with you,” Finn suggested as he kicked his dirty clothes into the corner before making his way to the fresher to brush his teeth.

Poe lifted the palms of his hands and shoved them against his burning eyes. He worked them in tight circles in an attempt to alleviate the intense itch he felt. His eyes were almost gritty and his throat was itchy too. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew that it wasn’t pleasant whatsoever. He just wished that he knew exactly what he could do to make it better.

As if reading his thought, Finn came back from the fresher, his breath smelling of fresh mint. “Let’s get you ready for bed. Maybe that’ll make you feel better.”

“Not sure about that,” complained Poe as he lowered his hands. “Why are my eyes so painful and itchy? Honestly what is going on?”

Finn stood in front of Poe and stretched out his hand to open Poe’s eyes wider. He hummed to himself before doing the same to the other eye. “They look a little red. Is that a symptom of the Balmorra flu?”

“Er, not that I’m aware of,” Poe replied when Finn finally lowered his hand. “Maybe it’s a mutated strain or something?”

Finn didn’t seem convinced. “Perhaps. Either way we should keep an eye on it. Try splashing some water on your face. That may help at least a little.”

Poe yawned as he managed a slight nod. He lifted his shirt over his head and threw it on the ground. His nose was already wrinkling with the impending need to sneeze overwhelmed him. This time he didn’t have time to lift his hands to his face, so he turned aside to sneeze over his shoulder.

“HrchrhsHS! HrhchrhsSh! Huh’HrhchrhsHs!”

Finn immediately grabbed the entire box of tissues since it was clear that he was going to need them. Finn brought out a few and pressed them into Poe’s hand just as Poe geared up for another fierce fit. “HrchrHsSH! HRchrSH! Huh’HrhthcHS!”

“Bless you,” Finn started as he looped his arm around Poe’s arm and pulled him toward the den. He forced him down as he lifted his hand to brush some tears that trailed down Poe’s cheek while Poe tried to stop the need to sneeze from rising inside of him again. “Oh, Poe. I’m really thinking this has to be the Balmorra Flu.”

Poe turned away from Finn in embarrassment and blew his nose painfully. It was only slightly productive and still left him with the need to sneeze while his eyes itched once more. He lifted a finger to press it against his eye and scratched at it madly. “I’ve never felt this way before. Could this really be the Balmorra Flu?”

Before Finn could answer, a chittering sound echoed as BB-8 rolled into the room and stopped in front of Poe and Finn. He was beeping quickly and Finn shook his head. “BB-8, I can’t understand you?”

Poe lifted his wrist to rub at his nose. “He’s saying that he can’t find D-O, again,” complained Poe as he pinched the bridge of his nose as his sinuses seemed to flare painfully. “I swear that droid is going to be the death of me!”

Finn tapped his foot impatiently. He then waved Poe off. “BB-8 and I can go look for him. You should stay here. You’re sick.”

“Like hell you are,” snuffled Poe. He felt a fresh wave of determination pulse through him, despite how awful he felt. “I promised Rey that I would look after him and that’s what I’m going to do!”

Finn appeared beyond reluctant, but he wasn’t about to go against Poe, not on this. “Alright let’s go. The sooner we find him, the sooner I can get you back to bed where you belong.”


	5. Scratch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn begins to wonder if this truly is the Balmorra Flu.

Poe, Finn, and BB-8 walked together side by side as they made their way through the hallways. It was fairly quiet with most Resistance members hanging out with friends outside or at their posts. Not to mention that a good bit were down with the Balmorra Flu. That was fine for Poe. The less to see him as a sniffling mess with bloodshot eyes the better.

"You're sure that he went this way," questioned Poe. They were heading down to the end of the barracks where food supplies was kept. The barracks were kept at the center of the base and it was the best place for them to keep food and medical supplies that they wanted to make sure were safe. No one came down here unless you worked at either of those departments, which obviously Poe did not.

BB-8 gave a high pitched beep of affirmation. Poe just shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, whatever you say. We just need to find him."

The three of them headed into the supply room that was the size of several Resistant issue rooms. It had to be large enough to fit all the food and medical supplies they could just in case they weren't able to get shipments. That means that there were crates stacked everywhere and would make searching difficult.

Poe had only made it a few steps before feeling the prickle of the need to sneeze rising. He grumbled to himself for forgetting to bring tissues. He could only lift his elbow and press it against his face as his breath began to hitch.

"Poe," questioned Finn when he saw the Resistance General pause.

"HrhchrHSSH! HrchrhSH! HrchrHshsh! HurhsHshs! Huh'HchrhsHsh!"  
  
There was a crash from somewhere deep in the room. BB-8 rolled forward toward it while Finn pulled his, or really Poe's, jacket from him and instantly draped it around Poe's shoulders. "Bless you. Here, that should keep you a little warmer," Finn offered as he frowned. "I knew that you shouldn't have come!"

Although Poe appreciated the gesture, he wasn't cold. However, having the jacket around him certainly comforted him. There was still something that didn't seem right about all of this in Poe's eyes. "We're almost done," he answered with a liquid sniff that he couldn't help but swallow after, grimacing. " I think BB-8 found something."

Finn and Poe made their way behind a collection of crates where BB-8 was across from D-O. Poe grumbled when he saw the familiar silhouette of the Loth Cat standing behind D-O. "D-O, what did I tell you about the Loth Cat. It's a wild creature. It doesn't belong here and it could hurt you."

"F-F-Friend," D-O pointed out.

Finn shook his head patiently. "It's not your friend, D-O. BB-8 if your friend. Poe is your friend. I am your friend. This is not your friend." He pointed a finger at the Loth Cat almost savagely.

D-O looked down while Poe reached out a hand to pull him back. Suddenly, the Loth Cat arched it's back with it's teeth bared. It shot out a paw and sliced the top of Poe's hand cleanly. Poe gasped in pain as he clutched his other hand on top of the scratch as he hissed in pain. "Damnit!"

The Loth Cat was almost spitting with fury with it's whiskers twitching. Finn drew over to Poe fearfully. "Poe! Are you alright?"

"Fine," Poe answered as he flicked his wrist, sending blood droplets falling onto the ground. "Damn thing got me pretty good."

Finn frowned when he saw the wound already becoming red and irritated looking, despite the fact that Poe had just been scratched. Finn wasn't a medic by any means, but he thought there was some peculiar going on that just didn't add up with him. "Poe, maybe...."

He trailed off when he saw Poe's eyes fluttering and nose twitching while his nostrils flared. He turned away from Finn frantically. "HrhcrhSH! HrchrhsSHsh! HrchrHsSH! HrcrhshSH! Huh'HrchdhsH!"

"Bless you," Finn murmured.

The Loth Cat hissed at the sudden loud explosions coming from the pilot, but it didn't shy away. Finn glanced over to Poe to see him already gearing up for another fit while keeping his face pressed against his slightly lifted shoulder. Tears collected on his eyelashes while his breathing was almost growing wheezy. This was not good in Finn's eyes.

"Poe," Finn suddenly exclaimed as he stretched out his hand and grasped Poe's elbow to steer him backwards, careful not to shake the jacket from Poe's shoulders.

Poe couldn't answer. His breath was already hitching madly. "huh.....Huh....hih.....HrchrhSHs! HrchrhsHsSH! HrcrhsSH! Huh'HrchrhsSH!" Poe nearly stumbled at the tail end of the fit while he couldn't see straight thanks to all of the tears.

He was only partially aware that Finn was leading him out of the room. "Whadt are you doig," Poe questioned. His nose was so clogged and streaming at the same time that it was affecting his speech. He had nothing to blow his nose into and all he could do was keep his head pressed against his shoulder to stop his nose from leaking.

"We need to get you out of here, now," Finn replied fiercely. There was no room to argue in his tone.

Confusion pulsed through Poe. "Why," he questioned in alarm. "You left D-O with thadt thig!"

"I'll deal with D-O in a moment. I don't think that the Loth Cat is dangerous to anyone but you," Finn replied sharply. He longed to pick up the pace, but he feared that Poe wouldn't be able to keep up.

Shock pulsed through Poe as well as the constant need to sneeze. "Whadt are you talkig aboudt?" He then paused to press his face firmer into his shoulder. "HrchrhsHS! HurchrhsH! HrhchrSH! Huh'HrchhsHS!"

"I'll tell you in a bit, I promise, but right now we need to get you back to our room and into the shower. Not to mention that I need to stitch up that hand of yours," answered Finn.

"Sditched ub? Id's jusdt a liddle scradtch," Poe argued dismissively. He had no idea why Finn was making such a fuss. Sure, Finn was a worrier by nature, but this was a little overboard even for Finn.

Finn frowned as he picked up the pace with Poe struggling to match it. "It's not going to be if we don't get it taken care of."

Poe couldn't answer since he was gearing up for yet another fit. His streaming nose itched deeply within and his breath came in almost pants as he waited for the urge to tip over into actual release. To his frustration, Finn wouldn't release him and Poe was fearful that even if he sneezed over his shoulder, he still risked catching Finn with a fine mist. The last thing that Poe wanted was for Finn to catch whatever he seemed to have.

"It's alright," chided Finn after a moment of watching Poe struggle with the need to sneeze as well trying to keep it back to protect Finn. "I don't care if you sneeze. You're not going to gross me out. Go ahead."

His body seemed to click after Finn gave him permission. He sucked in one more breath as his eyes slammed shut. "HrchrhSH!" The sneeze tore from his throat and left his ears nearly popping from the fierce sound. His sneezes had always been loud and direct. That was something that he got from his father. "HrchrSHsH! HrchrhSH! HrcrhSHs!" The fact that he couldn't stop after maybe two or three was something that he got from his mother. However, his mother had softer sneezes that didn't draw attention. Poe's sneezes were quite the opposite. "HrcrhSHS! HruchrhsSH! Huh'hurhcRHs!"

Poe was beginning to feel a little dizzy after the conclusion of the fit. His eyes were now streaming down his face to match his nose. He was well aware that he was making a mess of his jacket, Finn's jacket. The cool leather felt good against his twitching nostrils. He made a mental note to have it throughly washed before Finn even thought about wearing it again.

They finally made it to their room and Finn seemed more relieved than Poe was. Finn led Poe in and immediately pulled the jacket from his shoulders. Poe blinked his eyes in surprise as Finn set the jacket in the corner of the room as far from their bed as possible. Poe could just stand there in surprise as Finn came back over to him. "You need to get into the shower."

"Do I really smell thadt bad," Poe asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows in amusement.

Finn didn't look to be in the mood to joke. "Please, Poe. Can you help me out with this," Finn requested as he bit at his lower lip, a nervous habit that he had picked up.

Poe saw him biting sharply at his lower lip and he nodded slowly, snuffling heavily with little to no airflow moving through it. "Y-Yeah, I cand do thadt," he replied as he made his way toward the fresher, pitching forward with yet another flurry of sneezes.


	6. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn is beginning to think this isn’t the flu that Poe is dealing with. Finn fusses.

“HCrhsHsH! HrchrHsHs! HrchrSHsH! HrcrhSHs!”

Finn could hear Poe sneezing from inside the fresher shower. Finn had grabbed the first aid kit and was anxiously waiting for Poe to come out of the fresher so that he could deal with the scratch. However, he was more worried about Poe’s seemingly unending sneezing fits at the moment and not the scratch from the Loth Cat.

“HrcHrhSH! HrchrHSH! HRcrhshsSH! HrcrhSHs! Huh’HCrhsHSH!”

Finn realized that he couldn’t just sit by while he heard it happen. He grunted as he rose to his feet from the bed and walked over to the fresher. He knew that he would have to shower and change too. He had been tempted to get into the shower with Poe, but he thought that Poe would be too self-conscious with his nose practically leaking down his face for Finn to be with him. However, Finn knew that he couldn’t sit by and do nothing.

He made his way to the fresher and stepped through the door as quietly as possible. He could hear Poe’s loud and strenuous breathing and it caused his own chest to ache at the thought of Poe struggling.

“HrcrhSHS! HurhchrSH! HrcrhSHs! Huh’HrchrSH! Dabbidt!” There was a mostly productive blow into Poe’s hands before Poe tried to wash his hands in the stream of the shower. He let out a heavy breath that seemed increasingly painful.

“Fidd,” questioned Poe when he heard Finn moving around in the fresher.

Finn lifted his head from where he was leaning against the sink. “Yes, Poe,” Finn answered as he drew forward slightly to see how he could help Poe.

“Cadn I gedt oudt dnow,” Poe questioned through the curtain. “Id’s bedding a liddle hard to breathe.”

That sent a flicker of alarm in Finn and he struggled not to let it show. “Alright. I have a change of clothes out here for you. I’m going to get you feeling better.”

Poe snuffled as he reached to turn off the shower. Finn heard the water turn off as Poe moved the curtain to reveal himself to Finn. He was slightly shivering while his eyes were so red that Finn could barely see the brown that his eyes usually were. His nose was running down his face and Poe didn’t seem intent on cleaning himself up.

“This Ballmora Flu is dno joke,” Poe murmured as he grabbed a towel and quickly wrapped it around his waist bashfully. Even though he and Finn had seen each other naked numerous times, Poe was still slightly shy, especially now when he felt vulnerable already.

Finn quickly grabbed a wad of toilet paper and brought it up to Poe’s nose. He used the gentlest of touches to clean him up. Ordinarily he would’ve let Poe do this on his own, but because Poe’s hands were wet from the shower, Finn thought this was best for everyone involved. “I don’t think that you have the flu, Poe.” Once he had wiped Poe’s nose clean, he drew back and threw the tissue into the trash in the corner. “I think that you have something else going on.”

“Sobethig else,” questioned Poe as he raised his eyebrow. “Whadt else?”

Finn grabbed another towel and wrapped it around Poe’s shoulders. He started to rub Poe’s arms with the towel in an attempt to dry him up and warm him up. “I’ll tell you in a little bit. Let’s get you changed and warm and then I’ll deal with that scratch.”

Poe still didn’t understand why Finn was so concerned with the scratch from the Loth Cat. It stung, sure, but it wasn’t a blaster wound or severe burn. All of this seemed a little over the top for Poe. He wasn’t about to argue how Finn felt while his nose was blocked and his eyes still seemed to burn despite how many tears were rolling down his cheeks.

Finn handed Poe over his clothes. Poe quickly stepped into some boxers and lounge pants and then threw a shirt over his head. A few droplets of water fell from his curly hair and landed on the thin white t-shirt. 

“Come with me,” Finn instructed as he grabbed a slightly smaller towel and led Poe from the fresher.

They emerged into the cooler room with Finn having Poe sit down on one of the chairs closest to Finn’s desk. Finn then took the towel and gingerly began to rub it against Poe’s head to dry his hair. Poe relished in the touch and his eyes began to close subconsciously. Finn was gentle enough to rub his fingers against Poe’s scalp through the towel to dry his hair while also seeming to lull him to sleep. Unfortunately, Poe’s nose had different plans.

“HRchrSH! HrcHrSHsH! HrcrhsSH! HRchrSH Huh’HrchrSH!” 

In the midst of the fit, Finn lowered the towel from Poe’s hair and pressed it surely against Poe’s nose so that he had something to sneeze into. It slightly muffled his sneezes and Poe took the towel to rub at his still itching nostrils.

“Shit, that’s probably me,” Finn gasped as he drew back and started to pull off his shirt and khakis that he had been wearing. He immediately went over to the closet to select different clothes.

Poe barely registered that Finn had left. He tilted his head in surprise as he watched Finn throw the clothes that he had been wearing in the corner. He was beyond confused, once again, at Finn’s drastic behavior. He was starting to wonder if Finn had been knocked in the head recently to be acting so sporadic.

Finn drew back over when he had on shorts and a light gray t-shirt. “That should be better until I can take a shower. Now, how about we get that hand taken care of?”

“If id’s botherig you so buch, go ahead,” Poe replied with a tired shrug of his shoulders. 

Finn grabbed a chair from Poe’s desk and brought it over so that he was sitting across from Poe so close that their knees almost touched. Finn lifted the first aid kit and set it on the desk. He opened it and brought out some Bacta as well as an antiseptic wipe just to be safe. He wasn’t about to let any chance of infection take hold.

“Are you goig to tell be whadt dis is all aboudt,” questioned Poe with a raised eyebrow as he watched Finn clean the parallel scratches with the wipe.

Finn threw it aside into the trash. He the pushed a box of tissues to Poe. “Blow your nose first and then I will tell you.”

That sounded like a compromise that Poe was willing to make. He pulled out a few tissues and pressed them against his nose. He blew heavily and was frustrated that it did little to alleviate the tickle nor the congestion. He slightly grimaced as he wiped his nostrils dry before nodding to Finn.

“Whadt is wrong with be, Fidd,” Poe asked as Finn spread the Bacta cream onto the scratch. It was cool and alleviated the sting almost immediately.

“Nothing is wrong with you, per-say. You certainly don’t have Balmorra Flu. What you do have, I believe, is an allergy,” Finn explained as he started to wrap Poe’s hand so that the Bacta could fully be absorbed into the wound.

Poe drew slightly back in shock. “An allergy? To whadt?!”

“That Loth Cat I would guess. Think about it, you said that you started feeling off after that walk that you took with D-O. What has been the only thing to change since then? Just that the Loth Cat showed up. That would explain why your eyes are so bloodshot and itchy and why can’t stop sneezing and don’t have a fever,” Finn explained as he leaned forward so that he could look Poe in the eye. “That’s why I was so concerned about that scratch. I didn’t want that to make your throat close or something like that.”

Poe was still confused. He lifted a hand to rub at his eye when Finn battered it away fiercely. Poe could just fix him with an almost frustrated look. “Whadt would you dknow aboudt this?”

“Not much, you got me there. I did know one Stormtrooper that couldn’t breathe on a certain planet. He would start sneezing and wheezing just like you. It almost didn’t end well for him. I don’t want that to be the case with you,” replied Finn with a worried look in his eyes that Poe couldn’t ignore, no matter how much he tried.

Poe looked down and gave a dejected sniffle that did little to nothing to help with the congestion. “I dknow, budt I dond’t think id will,” he replied as he tried to force a little more of an upbeat tone to his voice. “I bean, I jusdt have to stay away frob idt.”

“I’m not sure that’s going to be enough. You haven’t been around it for a little white and you took a shower. You still look terrible and you’re wheezing,” Finn pointed out still worryingly. He understood that Poe was a little in denial, but that wasn’t helping either of them. “You have a pretty severe reaction. I wouldn’t feel comfortable unless that Loth Cat never comes anywhere near you or anything that you’re around again.”

Poe shook his head quickly. “Dno, thadt cand’t habben.”

It was getting harder for Finn to understand Poe as more congestion caused his letters to run together. He pushed the tissues box toward Poe once more. Poe slightly grumbled as he reached out to take the tissues and brought it up to his nose. He turned slightly away from Finn and tried to blow his nose. That just caused pain to burn in his sinuses and he blinked tears from his eyes thanks to the effort. He settled for just pressing on either side of his nose with his fingers to squeeze some of the mucus out and wiping it quickly with the tissue.

“And why not,” pressed Finn quickly with his eyes slightly narrowed.

“Because, D-O loves thadt thig! Clearly it feels the sabe way. I cand’t jusdt ask hib to give thadt ub,” Poe sighed with another shake of his head. “I-I’ll jusdt bake it work.”

Finn respected how much Poe cared for the droids, especially D-O. Things had never been easy for the green and white droid. Finn and Poe both knew that. For Poe to willingly put himself in a position that would cause him some discomfort was honorable, although foolish in Finn’s eyes. He knew that he couldn’t just come out and say that. He didn’t want to outright offend Poe, despite his firm stance on this.

“Fidd,” Poe rasped to bring Finn from his thoughts.

Finn stood, slightly towering over Poe. He stooped down and planted a light kiss on Poe’s forehead. “Let’s get back to bed. It’s nearly time for the sun to come up anyway. We’ll figure all this out after a much needed nap.”


	7. Heart To Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn has a heart to heart to D-O.

A squeaky rolling sound woke up Finn not long after he had fallen asleep. He struggled not to groan or disrupt the man that was leaning against him. His back throbbed thanks to the upright position that he had been in when he fell asleep and found himself still in. 

Poe was struggling to breathe and the only way that he could was sitting upright with his head on Finn's shoulder. A wet cloth had been draped over his still red and watery eyes so that Poe wouldn't feel the need to scratch at them. It had taken a lot of shifting and coaxing for Finn to finally have Poe in a position that he was comfortable in to fall asleep. Now something was threatening that and Finn didn't need to look to know what the squeaking sound was.

He looked over and saw D-O rolling forward as slowly as possible so not to squeak too loud. Finn gritted his teeth so not to let all the frustration that he was filling spill over. That was not the best way to respond to a droid as timid as D-O was.

Finn gingerly picked Poe's head from his shoulder and quickly made sure that he was resting it well against the pillows behind him. Poe's congested snoring paused for a moment and Finn held his breath. It only took a moment more for the snoring to continue and Finn let out a breath of relief.

He lifted himself from the bed and immediately came over and kneeled in front of the cowering droid. D-O immediately looked up and Finn pressed a finger to his lips to quiet him. "Come with me, now." He started forward with D-O squeakily rolling after him.

The two made their way outside so that Poe wouldn't hear. Finn sat down with his back to the wall with D-O rolling back and forth almost fearfully in an attempt not to get closer to Finn. "D-O, we need to talk," Finn told him sternly with a small nod.

"T-T-Trouble," D-O asked with his head falling forward. "D-D-Deactivate D-O?"

Finn tried not to let the horror show on his face. He quickly shook his head. "No, you're in trouble and I'm not going to deactivate you. I would never do that. You could probably try and kill me and I still wouldn't deactivate you." He then paused. "But don't get any ideas on that one. What I mean is, there's nothing that you could do here that would warrant that. I just want to talk to you."

"T-Talk?"

Finn nodded slowly. "Yep, just talk. That's all. There's no need to be scared. You're not in trouble," Finn reassured.

D-O didn't relax, not really, but he didn't roll away either. Finn would count that as a win. "Look, I know that things haven't been easy, especially after Rey left. I know that you liked her. I also know that you think that you've found a friend with that Loth Cat, which is great. However, it's not that great for Poe," Finn confessed gently.

It took a moment for it to seem to sink in with D-O. It then didn't seem like he understood it. "D-D-Don't understand," stammered D-O.

Finn lifted a hand and rubbed at his chest, sighing heavily. He urged himself not to loose his cool since it wasn't D-O's fault. "Poe has an allergy to that Loth Cat." D-O looked at him blankly as Finn continued. "It makes him sneeze and his eyes itch and it's hard for him to breathe. It's very unpleasant and can be dangerous for him."

"Dangerous?" That was a word that D-O understood and didn't like.

Finn nodded patiently. "Yes, dangerous. Look, buddy, I know that this is hard. I know that you want friends, someone to connect with. However, that Loth Cat isn't what you're looking for. You have BB-8 and the other droids, or Poe and myself. You don't need the Loth Cat."

"N-N-No kitty," D-O asked in the smallest voice Finn had ever heard. It seemed to squeeze Finn's heart because he knew the answer he had to give D-O.

"No, buddy. I'm sorry. You can't be around it anymore. You want to help Poe, right," questioned Finn softly.

D-O nodded. "Y-Yes," he stuttered.

"Good, good. I'll make sure it stays away from you. I just don't want Poe to be okay," Finn explained. He hoped he was getting through to D-O, but it was hard to tell. The droid had such limited vocabulary and understanding that Finn worried her was loosing him more than helping him understand where he was coming from.

D-O rolled back almost to the wall beside Finn. "S-S-Stay away. D-O stay away from kitty."

"Okay, that's good. Thank you." Finn then forced his voice to sound chipper. "How about later today I get BB-8 and the three of us can do something fun? Maybe play a game or something. Would you like that? You'd like that, right?"

D-O brightened and turned in a circle. "G-G-Game? Game! Game!"

Finn couldn't help but laugh. "Yep, we will play a game." He then yawned into the back of his hand as he tried to lean forward and stretch out his back. "But, first I need to sleep and you need to charge. When I wake up I'll wash you off so that you don't have any fur or dander on you. Sound like a plan?"

"P-P-Plan," announced D-O proudly.

Finn laughed as he stuck out his arm toward D-O and made his hand into a fist. D-O rolled forward slowly and tapped his head against D-O's fist in their own attempt at a fist bump. Finn laughed as he straightened. "Let's get back in and get some rest. We'll need it."


	8. New, Better Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe talks to D-O and reminds him that he has had friends all along.

Finn, true to his word, washed off any dander from D-O and then took him and BB-8 on a walk to the mess hall to get Poe some food. He was still fast asleep, but Finn was sure he would be hungry one he woke up. Finn knew that he was starving and still definitely tired. However, he had made a promise to D-O and if he didn't want D-O searching out the Loth Cat again by himself, he had to keep it.

Finn expertly carried a tray with two sandwiches back to his and Poe's room while the droids rolled behind him. BB-8 would nudge D-O and then D-O would almost chase him, but BB-8 would always let D-O win. It was certainly amusing for Finn to watch and he was suddenly more than appreciative to have them in his life.

When they were close to the room, BB-8 rolled ahead and opened it easily. Finn nodded to him in appreciation. "Thanks, BB," he told him as he walked through with both droids following.

He walked in to find Poe sitting up in bed with tissues hovering in front of his face. His eyes blinked fiercely and his nose gave a twitch before he rocked forward with the force of his desperate sneezes. "HrhcsHsSH! HrchrSHsH! Huh'HcrhsHS!"

"Bless you," exclaimed Finn to make his presence more known.

BB-8 offered his sentiments with a few pungent beeps. D-O looked to him and then to Finn, before he turned his attention to Poe. "B-B-Bless you."

Poe couldn't help but smile at D-O's blessing. He turned his head away from them to blow his nose and Finn was slightly more relieved to hear that the congestion appeared to have shifted at least a little. He rubbed the tissue against his nose before crumpling it and setting it on the nightstand. "Ugh, thanks."

"You sound a lot better," commented Finn as he carried the tray with their meal over to the bed for them to share. 

Poe nodded. "I feel a lot better. I guess some sleep and time away did me good," he replied as Finn settled beside him. He looked down at the food, but his gaze then traveled to D-O and BB-8. "Hello there."

BB-8 started to beep, but D-O immediately rolled forward to beat him to it. "S-S-Sorry. H-H-Hurt pilot. Bad D-O!"

Poe's eyes widened in surprise. He exchanged a look with Finn, who looked equally as horrified. Finn shook his head slowly. "You're not bad, D-O. Far from it, actually.”

Poe quickly waved his hand to slightly cut him off. "D-O, how about you and I talk, huh," he questioned as he nodded to Finn. "We'll be right back."

Finn was reluctant to let the two of them out of his sights, but he couldn't argue with Poe’s request. He nodded hesitantly while Poe scrambled off of the bed. He took the box of tissues just in case and made his way toward the door. D-O reluctantly followed with his head slightly bowed forward.   
  
They headed out of the room and Poe sat with his back pressed against the wall. D-O rolled over a few feet from Poe. He would be able to hear him while not being close enough for Poe to touch him. ‘We're not there yet,’ Poe reminded himself. Give him the space that he needs and worry about everything else later. 

"What was that in there," Poe finally asked.

D-O tilted his head in confusion and Poe knew that he had to continue the question. "You saying that you were bad. Not now, nor have you ever, done anything bad. Why did you say that about yourself?"

D-O leaned forward with his head bowed. "D-O hurt pilot. D-Do dangerous things. D-D-Dangerous D-O."

Poe was struggling to follow D-O's logic. He wasn't quite sure that D-O had any, actually. Not that he would ever go right out and say it. "You're not dangerous, D-O. Not at all. Also, my name is Poe. Not pilot. That's what I do. Your name is D-O and my name is Poe."

"P-P-Poe," D-O tried slowly as if trying to really understand the correlation between the man in front of him and his actual name. 

Poe nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, that's me. Now, back to this dangerous thing. Why would you think that you are dangerous or that you hurt me? I'm confused." 

That was a word that D-O knew well. He seemed to always be at least a little confused. "K-Kitty hurt Poe," he explained.

Just the mention of the Loth Cat seemed to send Poe's nose into a frenzy. He immediately grabbed some tissues from the box and pressed it against his twitching nostrils as his breath hitched. "HrcrhSHS! HuchrSHs! HrhchrSH! Huh'HchrSHs!" 

He managed to muffle the usually harsh sneezes into the tissue. He blew his nose productively in the aftermath and rubbed his nose dry. He set the used tissues beside him while still sniffling.

D-O seemed to be watching him intently. "B-Bless you," he offered, repeating the phrase that he had just learned moments ago.

Poe nodded in appreciation. "Ugh, thanks, excuse me. Now, let's get back to what you were saying. You think that you're bad because of the Loth Cat?" D-O nodded. "It wasn't your fault. You just wanted a friend and you didn't know that it would be an issue. Hell, I didn't know it would be an issue. You're certainly not bad and you don't need to apologize. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."

D-O appeared more than shocked when he heard Poe say that. "D-O okay?"

"D-O is more than okay. You are incredible, D-O. You've helped so much and you didn't know about the Loth Cat. There are so many droids and other people here that can be your friend instead of that creature. Besides, I don't want it to hurt you," Poe tried to explain. He realized he was talking a good bit and D-O had the tendency to tune him out when he did that.

To Poe's relief and surprise, D-O rolled over to him and rested his conelike head against Poe's shoulder. Poe couldn't help but chuckle as he lifted his hand and gingerly ran it over the broad side of D-O's cone. "P-Poe friend?"

"Yeah, D-O. I am your friend and I promise that I'm going to do a lot more to be a better friend," Poe reassured with a fierce nod. "That sound like a good idea?"

D-O nodded. "F-Friend. D-O has a friend."

"That is right. You have more than one if you ask me. See, you don't need that smelly old cat when you have us, right," he asked.

D-O seemed beyond content beside Poe. "D-O has Poe. D-O finally has friends."

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone that read this fic! I hope that you guys have enjoyed it and are staying safe and healthy!

**Author's Note:**

> D-O always melts my heart so I hope you guys like some cute D-O. Hope you all are staying safe and healthy!


End file.
